How long do flowers last?

Most flowers can be kept in water for about a week, it just depends on how you grow them.

Let’s talk about freshness first. The time from when all fresh-cut flowers are cut from the mother body to when they finally open and wither completely is basically fixed. The sooner they arrive in your vase, the longer they will live. . Therefore, freshness is the prerequisite for extending the flowering period. If the freshness of the flowers purchased is not good, then it is okay not to mention the following matters.

When it comes to keeping flowers fresh, there are only three things: sterilization, nutrition, and ethylene control.

Sterilization: Why sterilization? The flowers bloom by absorbing water from the roots to the flower heads, continuously providing water and nutrients. If the supply is cut off, there will be only death. This is the danger of bacteria. Flower heads absorb water through the conduits in the stems. A large number of bacteria will clog the conduits and cut off the supply of water, eventually causing the flowers to wilt before they bloom. How to sterilize it? There are many legends: add vinegar, add salt, add citric acid, etc... In fact, the most meaningful one is 84 disinfectant, just add a few drops to half a bottle of water (adding too much will cause the flowers to fade).

Nutrition: This is easy to understand. With sufficient nutrition, the flowers will bloom fuller, the colors will be brighter, and the flowering period will be longer. The legendary addition of sugar and cola are basically for this purpose. But once you add these things, nutrients are available, but at the same time bacteria will multiply. In fact, in the end, the flowers will not get these nutrients, and they will eventually die of depression. So, please don’t add this kind of thing easily.

Ethylene control: Ethylene is a gas that accelerates the aging of flowers and inhibits the opening of many flowers. The flowers themselves produce this gas. How to effectively control this gas is A technical job. I work in a flower shop, and I always failed chemistry when I was in school, so I actually don’t understand it. I just read in the book that some very unstable silver salts work. I’m afraid we can’t handle this ourselves. . The only thing you can do is to keep flowers away from ripe fruits. Ripe fruits will volatilize ethylene, and this will induce the flowers themselves to produce more ethylene gas.

The processing of each flower is also very critical, just a few points: flowers, leaves, and stems.

For flowers, remove the rotten outer petals (if any). Here we focus on roses. Really fresh roses generally have a few outer petals, which do not look so beautiful. Not so regular, the color is sometimes a little green, and the texture is thicker and harder than the inner petals. We call these protective petals. This is a good thing. If you want the flower to bloom less quickly, this protective petal plays a big role. Functional. First of all, it can protect the inner petals from damage. At the same time, because it is harder, it also plays a role in supporting the inner petals from falling apart, which allows the inner petals to open slowly instead of opening all at once. In fact, when the flower is fully open, the protective petals will turn down and become invisible. In my opinion, roses with protective petals look more varied in color and have more layers

Leaves. Broken leaves must be removed because they cannot absorb water anyway; rotten leaves must be removed; Leaves below the mouth of the vase should be removed; leaves that are an eyesore should be removed; do not remove all leaves. One function of the leaves is to help the flower head absorb water. If all the leaves are removed, the flower will not survive long.

Before putting the flowers into the water, it is best to simply clean the stem leaves and so on, otherwise it will accelerate the turbidity of the vase solution. Here I focus on root pruning, which is as important as sterilization and is a top priority. Let me first explain the terminology. What is root pruning? Root pruning is to use sharp scissors or a Swiss Army knife or something. Cut off a 2-3 cm section of the root of the flower stem at a 45 degree angle to expose the new stubble. Why should it be exposed? New crop? If you mistakenly buy flowers that have been stored in the florist for several days, and the roots have been soaked, you must remove all the soaked parts until you see that the cut is white and fresh, otherwise Even if it is cut, it will be cut in vain, and it will not absorb water. Why cut at 45 degrees? Because this can increase the contact area between the flower stem and water, which is conducive to water absorption. Then let’s talk about how to cut. According to our industry standards, water cutting is required, which means cutting in water. Why? As mentioned before, the water in the flower heads is sucked up through the tubes in the flower stems. In addition to bacteria, there is another thing that can block the tubes, which is air and small bubbles.

If the flower stem is left in the air for a long time after cutting the roots, air may enter the tube, causing air blockage, and water will not be sucked up. The final result is that the flower will wilt before opening. Therefore, the industry standard is To cut with water, cut in the water so that no air can get in. Actually, I find it troublesome and have never cut it with water, but I will definitely insert it into a vase filled with preservative immediately after cutting the roots of each flower without any delay. , so the flowers in our store are generally not dehydrated. Remember one thing: as long as there is water at the root of the flower stem, you must cut the roots before putting it in.

Finally, let’s talk about the environment. In what environment can flowers be grown for a long time?

The first is temperature. The ideal storage temperature for most fresh cut flowers (except some tropical flowers) is 5 degrees Celsius. Of course, people can’t stand this temperature and have to wear down jackets. Then at a temperature of around 20 degrees, the flowers will be more comfortable and live longer.

Then there is humidity. The higher the air humidity, the more moist the flowers will be. If it is too dry, some flowers will suffer. No, for example, hydrangeas, elves covered with petals, are easy to die. Therefore, it is difficult to grow hydrangeas at home in Beijing in winter. If you have a humidifier or something at home, the flowers will probably thank you from the bottom of their hearts! If it really doesn't work, the petals of roses and lilies are not very wet. If there are relatively few petals, you can spray some water on the flowers and leaves in the form of mist, which can also play a humidifying role.

Ventilation, this is really important. Open the windows regularly, ventilate the flowers, and keep the ethylene and other gases away from the flowers. The flowers will definitely be happy. I promise to stay with you for a few more days.

Do not expose it to direct sunlight, which is exactly the opposite of a potted plant with roots. Otherwise, when the water in the flowers evaporates faster than the roots absorb water, similarly, stay away from cold and heat sources, such as heaters, air conditioning outlets, etc. And as mentioned before, ripe fruits.

A little tip for flower arranging: Don’t look at those pictures on the Internet. The flowers are one next to the other, and they are crowded together. They are trying to trick you into spending more money. Ignore them. A Singaporean floral master named Gao Yanfa once said that when arranging flowers, you should leave space for butterflies to pass through. Why do you say this? When you arrange flowers, you should leave space for the flowers to open. At the same time, the air can flow freely and bring fresh air. So look at the vase in your home and buy flowers that are suitable. Don't make impulsive purchases.

Step one: Put the flowers aside and clean the vase first. Use some 84 disinfectant to clean the vase thoroughly, and then rinse it with clean water.

The second step: Prepare the preservative, mix the preservative according to the proportion (preferably use purified water, mineral water, etc.), and pour it into the cleaned vase

The third step : Now it’s the flower’s turn. Just compare it to the vase, remove the leaves below the mouth of the vase, remove the bad petals, and simply clean the flower stems, leaves and so on.

Step 4: The important step is to cut the roots. Put each flower into the vase immediately, immediately, immediately, immediately and quickly after cutting the roots without delay.

The fifth step is to find a reliable place to put it after everything is plugged in. Check it from time to time, and just add a little when you are short of water.